Love Is Found In the Most Unlikely Places
by shadowangelmecha
Summary: ProsperxHornet. When Prosper and Hornet finally admit their feelings for each other, Bo convinces Ida to send the three to public school. Can their relationship survive? Rating PG-13 just for precations
1. Confessions of Amor

Disclaimer: I don't own Thief Lord or any of its characters…Cornelia Funke does.

A/N: My Italian is horrible people so I will only use Italian phrases found in the book.

Love Is Found In the Most Unlikely Places

Chapter 1: Confessions of _Amor_

The morning sun glowed brightly on the horizon of the beautiful city of Venice, brightening its many streets and canals as another spring day begins. Many of the natives were still sound asleep in their beds, save the schoolchildren and the market owners, who had to get ready for school and tend to their stores respectively. One house in particular was rather quiet even though the children that lived there were wide awake.

"Prosper, shouldn't we be getting ready for school?" asked a small boy around 7 years old. His scruffy, blonde hair had streaks of black in it and his boyish features melted the hearts of any tourists who set eyes on him.

"No, Bo. Remember that we don't have to go to school like the other children?" said a taller, serious-looking boy with raven black hair. He looked about 14 years old and appeared to be the younger boy's brother.

A moment later, a slender young girl the same age as Prosper walked into the room and patted Bo on the head before sitting next to his older brother. She had long brown hair worn in a thin braid that went down to her hips. This braid looked suspiciously like a long stinger, which earned her the nickname Hornet, and she usually never answered to anything else.

"Besides, don't you like being home-schooled by Signora Ida? It's much better than going to a public school, where we would have to watch out for bullies." Hornet said, smiling at the youngest of the three of them. "I suppose, but I want to make some friends my own age, Hornet. I also know that you and Prop would be there to look out for me." Bo exclaimed, giving his companions his sweetest smile. The others chuckled at his innocent gesture and pulled him into a hug.

It was silent for a few moments before Prosper spoke up, "Bo, why don't you go wake up Ida and Lucia so that we can get breakfast started. Scip and the others should be here soon anyway." Bo grinned widely and with a nod of his head, jumped up and bolted upstairs to wake their caretaker and her housekeeper.

Prosper sighed and glanced over at Hornet. They had known each other for almost two years now and during that time, the two friends had developed more than friendly feelings for each other. The reason that they weren't a couple yet was because each was oblivious to the other's feelings. All of their friends, even Bo, kept prodding them to get together but Prosper's shyness and Hornet's stubbornness always prevented them from going anywhere beyond friendship. That, however, was about to change…

"Hornet, can I ask you a question?" Prosper asked, glancing over to his secret crush.

Hornet looked back at him and giggled, "You just did, but go ahead anyway."

The witty remark made the young boy laugh heartily as he put on his 'serious face,' "What am I to you, exactly? What kind of relationship do we have?" At this, Hornet's face turned a deep crimson as she turned away slightly, "We're best friends, Prop. But there is something I've been meaning to tell you."

This naturally caught Prosper's attention as he turned her head around to look into her eyes, "What is it, Hornet?"

If there was one thing that Prosper wasn't expected the younger girl to do, it was what she did at those words: She sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. If Prosper's face could've burned off from blushing so hard, it would have done so right there.

"Prop, I have to say this before Bo comes back. I've had feelings for you for a long time but I was afraid you would reject me and not be my friend anymore," Hornet said with a tear beginning to make its way down her cheek. Prosper smiled as wide as he could and wiped the tear off the girl's face, cupping her cheek in one hand and wrapping his free arm around her waist, "Hornet, I've also had feelings for you. To be honest, I've liked you since I first saw you. I was just scared you would laugh at me and turn me down."

Hornet's eyes brightened at his words and she leaned her face closer, gently planting a kiss on Prosper's lips, effectively quieting them both. For a couple minutes, the pair just sat on the couch and kissed, perfectly content with each other's company and the knowledge that they shared the same feelings.

Prosper pulled away for a moment and smiled at Hornet, holding her close, "Hornet, will you be my girlfriend?"

The young girl giggled and nodded, "I would be glad to, Prop. I love you so much." With that, she gave her new boyfriend another kiss and pulled herself closer to him, tightening her grip on his waist.

They most likely would've kept kissing, except at that moment Bo came running down the stairs and leapt into the room. He gasped upon entering, seeing his closest lady friend kissing his older brother while sitting in his lap. I mean, who wouldn't? At once, Hornet jumped out of Prosper's lap and blushed deeply, stuttering in embarrassment at having been caught. A minute later, Ida and Lucia came down and asked the children what had happened, seeing all three blushing like cherries. Bo was about to comment but Prosper and Hornet patted his head before he could say anything and confessed to the older women that they were a couple now and had kissed. Both guardian and housekeeper found it immensely cute and told them that it was okay, and that Bo had convinced them to let the children attend public school.

After Ida and Lucia left for the kitchen with Bo in tow, the new couple smiled and gave each other a peck on the cheek. Hornet giggled and said, "Looks like we're going to school after all, Prop." Prosper laughed and nodded, "Yeah. Bo can get anyone to do what he says, somehow. I have to ask him to teach me how he does it."

Hornet burst out laughing at this and hugged her boyfriend tightly, "Do you think the others will mind us being like this?" Prosper shook his head and chuckled, "Somehow, I think the others knew it would happen, especially Mosca and Riccio. Heck, I wouldn't doubt it if Victor and Scip also had a clue about it."

Hornet nodded and smiled, giving Prosper a third kiss on the lips in six minutes. "Well then, we'll just have to get through it together," she said.

"Yeah," Prosper replied, "Together."


	2. Heading to School

Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership to the Thief Lord, people. Also, I have no idea how the school system works in Italy, so I'll mold it to my liking.

Love Is Found In the Most Unlikely Places

Chapter 2: Heading to School

It had been a week since Prosper and Hornet had admitted to everyone that they were in love, and so far their friends, especially Mosca and Riccio, had not stopped teasing them. During the week, Ida and Victor Getz, a local detective who had helped the brothers escape their Aunt Esthar two years ago, had helped the children buy all of their school supplies and took them to a barber shop in order to get their hair cleaned up and tamed. Before long, the three kids had everything they would need for school.

Bo leapt on his brother's bed and started yelling in his ear, "Wake up, Prop! It's our first day of school!" The sudden impact of his little brother hitting his bed and the screaming knocked poor Prosper onto his floor…head first, unfortunately. "Whoops. Sorry, Prop," Bo said, trying to help his big brother off the floor.

"It's alright, Bo. Just don't do that again, got it?" Prosper said. Bo just nodded and ran off to wake the others, although Hornet walked in just after the little tyke took off. She took one look at Prosper and blushed as hard as she could, seeing him standing there only in a pair of boxers. After all, wouldn't you blush at her age after seeing your boy/girlfriend in their unmentionables? Prosper looked up and found Hornet standing there blushing… wearing only her bra and panties. Prosper immediately turned as red as a strawberry and tried to cover himself, but Hornet had already walked over and stopped him.

"Don't be embarrassed, Prop. You look very handsome, but I think we better get ready for school," she told him. Prosper smirked and pulled Hornet into a tight hug, kissing her passionately as their barely clothed bodies rubbed against each other, "Thanks Hornet. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life, and I mean that."

Hornet, if possible, blushed even harder and playfully licked her boyfriends cheek, picking up the clothes she had brought to change into before patting Prosper's chest, "Prop, as much as I would love to stand here kissing you in my underwear, we have to get ready for school." Prosper chuckled a bit and nodded as he began putting his clothes on, watching Hornet dress herself in a cute little blue sundress that he had picked out for her the other day.

Bo came into the kitchen with them a few minutes later, dressed up almost exactly like Prosper, the only difference being the colors. Soon, Ida came down and cooked the children breakfast before sending them off to school, "Have a good first day, kids. And Hornet, don't try to spend the whole day kissing your man, ha ha," Our little lovebirds blushed at their guardians words but promised her to keep the kissing to a minimal.

The three had made it to school without a hitch but it was the school courtyard where they encountered their first problem.

One of the older boys and two of his friends, all of them 15, had been eyeing Hornet once the three had gotten to school and soon surrounded them. The leader stepped up to Hornet and tried to put his hand on Hornet's chest, but Prosper knocked it away and glared at him. The older boy laughed and gave Hornet a lecherous grin, "Hey sugar, why don't you just leave these two losers and come with us. We'll take care of you." Hornet just smirked and replied in her most sultry tone, "Sorry, but I think I can tell who losers are and it most certainly doesn't apply to my boyfriend and his brother." The older boys growled at this and stepped forward, fully intending on attacking Prosper and Bo.

Suddenly, two voices rang out from behind the group, "Hey, if you jerks have a problem with our friends, take it up with us." The three boys turned around and found themselves surrounded, with Bo, Prosper, and Hornet on one side and two new boys on the other. One was stocky and black as charcoal while the other was light-skinned and skinny with a mop of spiky hair on his head.

"Mosca! Hedgehog! What are you guys doing here?" Hornet exclaimed, happy that their friends came to help. They grinned and nodded to their buddies when Mosca, the large black boy, stepped up, easily bigger than the goons muscle-wise, "I don't know who you are, but you better leave our friends alone."

The leader snarled in rage and sulked off, his friends walking behind him. He turned around and glared at Prosper, "Soon, little boy, your girl will be mine. Mario Venaterri always gets what he wants." Prosper just scoffed at his big words and said, "Over my dead body, you creep." Hornet smiled at her boyfriend and gave him a peck on the cheek as the older boys stalked off. Bo just grinned and stuck his tongue out at the goons before turning back to their surprise helpers.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Prosper asked, cocking his head to the side. Riccio, or Hedgehog as he was known by his friends, smiled and walked up, "Victor and Scipio helped us get enrolled into school so that we could keep an eye on you three. Besides, it sounded like a lot of fun." They all shared a laugh at that and walked into the school building to take Bo to class before heading to their own. And so, the children's greatest adventure since the mystery of the magical Merry-Go-Round of the Merciful Sisters begins. The adventure known as public school…


	3. Prosper vs Mario

Disclaimer: Once again, I own no rights to the Thief Lord.

A/N: Thanks to MysteryALASKA for the review…it gives me incentive to keep writing this story.

Love Is Found In the Most Unlikely Places

Chapter 3: Prosper vs. Mario

The children went down to the main office building to get their schedules after dropping off Bo at his classroom, and upon receiving them, they noticed that they all had the same classes. Laughing heartily, they four friends made their way to their first class, which was science.

They all walked into the room and chuckled after looking at their teacher, an stocky young man who looked like he worked out a bit. Prosper and Hornet sat next to each other at the front row of the classroom while Riccio and Mosca sat directly behind them. The teacher cleared his throat and looked around, his eyes finally landing on the four close friends.

"You're the four new students right?" he asked. Prosper nodded for the group as they all stood up and introduced themselves to the rest of the class. Once they sat back in their seats, the teacher, whom I will call Signor Bussorino, rapped the board with his palm and told everyone to pull out their textbooks, "I want all of you to read chapter 14 and answer the questions at the end review. And try not to talk too loud, as I will allow you to work in groups of four."

Naturally, Prosper and his gang grouped together and started working immediately. The whole class passed without much incident, except for that prank when someone in the back chucked a piece of sodium from the mineral closet into a bucket of water near the teacher. The large chunk of metal promptly exploded like a cannon and went straight through the roof, shocking Signor Bussorino and putting a large TV-sized hole above his head.

Prosper led the four out of the room as they headed to the gym for PE class. As they entered the gym, poor Prosper and Hornet got knocked over by a tiny blur, "Prop, Hornet! You're here!" the blur, now identified as Bo, exclaimed, wrapping his tiny arms around their waists. Prosper smiled and wrapped his own arms around his little brother and girlfriend, "Hey Bo. How you holding up, little guy?" Prosper asked. Bo grinned up at Prosper and let the two lovebirds off the floor, "It's great, Prop. I already made some friends and now I have PE with you and the others!"

A second later, the coach came out and blew his whistle, drawing everyone over, "Alright, kids, let's get ready to play a bit of basketball," he yelled, pulling out some balls before heading into his office to finish some paperwork

"Well, well, well. Look what the rats dragged in," a stern voice said behind Prosper. He and the others turned around, spotting the last person they wanted to see: Mario Venaterri. The good thing was that his buddies weren't with him, although even on his own, he could cause a problem. Prosper immediately stepped in front of Hornet and Bo, glaring at Mario like he was dirt. If looks could kill, Mario would have been dead a million times over and still dying by now. He smirked and walked up to Prosper and looked him dead in the eye, "Your name's Prosper, right?" he asked. Prosper nodded slowly while Hornet clutched Bo in her arms and backed away a bit.

"Good, I always make a note of learning the names of people I'm about to maul," he said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Mario suddenly lunged at Prosper and bowled him over, making a dash for Hornet, who tried to back away but couldn't make it in time: Mario had already groped her chest and was now trying to grab her rear, knocking Bo onto his butt in the process. Prosper snarled in rage at the older boy's actions and dived into him, slamming his back into the wall before giving him the hardest left hook he could throw. Mario literally flew two feet into the air and fell onto the ground on his back.

Growling like a mad and hunger tiger, Mario staggered to his feet and tried to get his bearings straight. Unfortunately for him, he had managed to piss Prosper off so much, it was like invoking the Wrath of God. This was only proven further with Bo screaming "Get him, Prop!" at the top of his lungs while Prosper made another mad dash for his opponent, drawing his fist back and slugging Mario square in the jaw. Riccio, Hornet, and even Mosca cringed as they heard the older boy's jaw snap under the pressure of Prosper's punch.

By now the coach had ran out and was trying to hold Mario up to get him to the nurse while Prosper's friends were trying to hold him back, although they were having a lot of trouble. The coach looked around and yelled out in anger, "What in the name of Saint Marco happened here?" At once, the entire class pointed at Mario and recalled to the coach how he had sexually harassed Hornet and attacked both Bo and Prosper. They also told how Prosper retaliated and took Mario down, trying to protect Hornet from him. After listening to the story, the coach sneered at Mario and dragged him to the office to get fixed up by the nurse.

Soon, Prosper was called to the office where he told the principal what had happened. Before the hour was done, Mario was expelled from the school and Prosper was congratulated by the school staff for his actions in protecting a girl from sexual harassment. When he rejoined the class, everyone clapped for him as if he was some sort of god. Soon, the other students told him how they were all afraid of Mario Venaterri and his goons but now, thanks to Prosper, they were free of him for good.

Prosper looked up and smiled as Hornet walked up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. The other kids laughed and made catcalls at the pair, although they were obviously ignoring them, considering they were lip-locked with their eyes closed. Riccio even commented on seeing some tongue pass between the couple. This prompted more catcalls from the crowd but the bell rang a minute later and Prosper pulled back, smiling shyly at his girlfriend. Hornet clasped his hand in hers and they walked home together, Bo at their side with Riccio and Mosca bringing up the rear.


	4. Celebrations and Romantic Interludes

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Thief Lord or any characters, so someone help keep the copyright people off my rear, please

A/N: Sorry bout the lack of update but school has been keeping me busy.

Love Is Found In the Most Unlikely Places

Chapter 4: Celebrations and Romantic Interludes

Since the rest of the school day was canceled due to the big fight between Prosper and Mario, the kids got to go home early, although Prosper certainly didn't leave empty-handed. Walking away from the school building, he had a bronze plaque in his hands and a shiny silver medallion hanging from his neck. Both had been gifts from the Doge himself after he learned of Prosper's valiant efforts to protect Hornet from the older boy.

"Man, Prop! You're so lucky!" Bo exclaimed as he walked next to his brother, who was holding Hornet's hand in his own. Hornet giggled and smiled at her boyfriend, kissing his cheek as she pulled him closer, "Oh Bo, I doubt Prop even wanted all that attention, even if it _was_ from the Doge."

Prosper nodded and tucked the plaque away into his bag, "Yeah, little bro, Hornet's right. I don't any of the popularity and attention. All I really need are my family and friends," he said, looking back at Riccio and Mosca, who were bringing up the rear.

Before long, the group reached the Casa Spavento and walked in casually, not expected to be greeted by a shower of graffiti and party equipment covering the entire house. Hanging from the entrance to the kitchen was a sign with 'Congratulations Prop' written on it and a large chocolate cake was sitting on the table. Standing to the sides were Victor, Scipio, Lucia, Giaco, and Ida. All had smiles on their faces as they walked over and congratulated Prosper on his victory over Mario.

After the congrats, the party immediately got underway. Soon, Bo and Riccio were pigging out on cake and were trying to out eat Victor and Scipio, although neither was having any luck. Mosca was in charge of the music, altering frequently between slow and fast songs. As the music played on, the three main couples of the household were dancing: Victor with Ida, Prosper with Hornet, and Lucia with Giaco. Everyone was having a good time and not many incidents happened. Funnily enough, there was an apparent kissing contest between Victor and Prosper, who were trying to outdo each other in kissing their respective girlfriends. During the festivity, there were many catcalls and whistles, except for little Bo who kept yelling about how yucky the guys were for kissing in public.

Soon, almost everyone had passed out from some reason or another, with Prosper and Hornet being the only two still awake. Prosper smiled and walked up to his and Bo's room, Hornet walking briskly behind him. As soon as the two walked into the room, Hornet shut the door, locked it, and jumped Prosper from behind. The poor boy didn't have a chance, as he was planted on the bed with Hornet kissing him fiercely. Hornet pulled away for a moment and stripped herself of her shirt and pants before doing the same to her blushing boyfriend. Next thing either of them knew, they were making out in their underwear and holding each other as tightly as they could. Prosper pulled back for a moment and took a deep breath, drinking in every detail about the lovely girl.

"Hornet, you are the most beautiful person on the face of the planet. I mean it, even the richest queens have nothing on you," he said, pressing his face against Hornet's soft neck and kissing it gently. She blushed deeply and gave Prosper's nose a playful lick, giggling as she rubbed her hands all over his slightly toned chest.

"Thank you, Prop. You're the sweetest boy I've ever met and I hope to be with you for the rest of my life. I love you so much," she purred. Prosper blushed even deeper, although how that is possible I will never know. He tugged at the blankets, pulling them over their bodies as he held Hornet closer and kissed her cheek, "I love you too, Hornet."

Hornet suddenly laid herself on Prosper's chest and nuzzled her face into his neck, asking Prosper the strangest question anyone had ever asked him.

"Prop, when we get older, will you ask me to marry you? Promise me, please."

Now if Prosper were any other person his age, he would have jumped through the wall after being asked that. However, he showed a rare side of his gentleness that few people ever saw: He cupped Hornet's cheek in his hands and kissed her softly before replying.

"I promise."

That was the last thing either of them heard before sleep overtook them.


End file.
